From Johnson’s wheelhouse in the new economy, the rankings aren’t any better. Wisconsin came in 31st among 50 states in the latest New Economy Index from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan group in Washington, D.C. The state scored poorly in crucial areas like the number of fast-growing companies and entrepreneurial activity, 39th and 47th, respectively.

“The study came out and we’re 47th,” Johnson says. “We suck. We’re bad. Do we keep talking about it or do we take action?”

Republicans are opposed to high-speed internet unless it is controlled by big corporations. They oppose high-speed rail, period, because the highway builders’ lobby keeps stuffing money in their pockets. They oppose renewable energy and wind power because the Koch brothers don’t own it and it’s hippie stuff anyway. They cut funds from the public school system so that it will fall apart and eventually be privatized. They attack teacher salaries and workplace rights so that the best teachers end up leaving the state. They attack salaries and pensions in the University system, as well as domestic partner benefits, all of which deter highly qualified intellectuals and researchers from coming to Wisconsin. They attempt to have Professors fired for exercising their civil and academic rights of free speech. They want to micromanage research at the University, further discouraging the hiring of the best scientific talent. And then all they can say is “We suck at job creation”. They don’t have a clue.

The truth is that this outcome was guaranteed. They don’t actually care about helping the state economy. Walker himself is concerned only with standing in front of a mirror all day practicing the presidential oath of office while lighting candles under a picture of Ronald Reagan. His staffers, on the other hand, are a bit more realistic. They are just busy looting the state government as much as they can before they get booted out of office.

Gareth, I hate to contradict your caricature, but I’m a Republican (albeit a moderate) and I do not agree with any of those things. While I can’t speak for the whole party (especially the wingnuts, but hey, both parties have those), you’re trying to characterize all Republicans based on general principles of hyper-privatization and cartoonish corporate favoritism. This is really no different from the loonies on Fox that try to paint Democrats as socialist hippies. This is precisely the trouble with political discourse in a hyperpolarized political climate. Both Democrats and Republicans should focus less on painting caricatures of each other like this and instead focus on finding a common ground on which to advance the country.

Cacey, nobody thinks that all Republicans are racist homophobic misogynists intent on rolling back every piece of social progress made over the last two centuries, but those you have chosen to represent you, by and large, are.

I think that all Republicans are racist homophobic misogynists intent on rolling back every piece of social progress made over the last two centuries. They must be, because I didn’t hear any Republicans saying squat about this exact agenda before Romney was defeated.

Now there’s all kinds of Republicans saying “We never felt that way! We’re practically moderates!”

Bulls–t! You were nowhere to be found until you got your lunch eaten.

Everyone who self-identifies as a Republican knows what their party’s platform is, and it ain’t “progressive”. If your representatives are misrepresenting you and you don’t correct them when it matters, then you are responsible for everything they stand for, and as far as I’ve seen in the past few decades, I think that ALL Republicans are racist homophobic misogynists intent on rolling back every piece of social progress made over the last two centuries.

Don’t worry, though. A leopard doesn’t change his spots.

Remember back in 2008 when Obama won the first time? You couldn’t FIND a Republican anywhere! Suddenly they magically became “Independents”! In a few months, when they realized no Democrats were trying to find them and lynch them for supporting that weasel GW Bush, they crawled back out from under their rocks and became Tea Party folks. When that went south they became Republicans again.

I give it another few months and they’ll be right back to spouting jingoistic nonsense and trying to stop gays from making the baby Jesus cry again.

Bliko, not to spur a full debate in the comments, but I think “by and large” is a bit of an exaggeration, especially for the extreme image you present. While the religious conservative wing of the party has made for some bad press recently on things like marriage equality and abortion rights, it is mostly composed of an older generation from a different time that is slowly but surely giving way to a new, more socially liberal one (Ron Paul anyone?). As far as the apparently extreme nature of Republican representatives, this is more the product of primary systems in which more moderate representatives have serious problems overcoming more partisan candidates that better appeal to the base. In the 2012 election, for example, hyperconservative pressures in the Republican primary forced Romney so far to the right on many issues that he appeared very conservative and became less competitive in the general election. Again, as newer, more open, generations come into the party, I hope that image will start to dissipate.